Burnsville forward Ashley St. Aubin rarely vocalizes. 

Whether in a game or on the practice field, the senior doesn’t say much because she is too busy working, Blaze coach John Soderholm said. 

St. Aubin, however, makes noise another way — with her play. 

She scored a late goal to lift Burnsville over Eastview 2-1 in a South Suburban Conference game at Eastview High School on Tuesday. 

St. Aubin's goal with six minutes left in the game kept an undefeated record intact for the Blaze (3-0-1), ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, while dropping the No. 6-2A Lightning to 3-2-0.

Burnsville fans erupted when St. Aubin scored, but the Blaze captain maintained her usually quiet persona. 

“She is horribly quiet and is humble,” Soderholm said. “She’ll be the first one with her cleats on at practice tomorrow, ready to go. She never makes a big deal about anything.”

Although she didn’t make a big deal about her game-winning goal, St. Aubin couldn’t help but smile when talking about it. 

“A one-touch goal like that, it’s a good feeling,” she said. 

It is a feeling she hasn’t had since scoring in the season opener against St. Michael-Albertville. 

Soderholm said the entire team has gone through a bit of a scoring drought recently, which can be tricky to correct. 

“It is a difficult game that way,” Soderholm said. “You can go a long stretch without scoring goals and then it’s like you can’t miss the net.” 

And after 12 days without a goal, St. Aubin couldn’t miss the net either.

She took the pass from teammate Erin Fugh, who scored the first Blaze goal, and put the ball in the net to give Burnsville its second victory over Eastview in as many games. The Blaze defeated the Lightning last year in the section playoffs. 

Soderholm said St Aubin kept a “good attitude” while she wasn’t scoring and continued to work hard — a big reason for her long-term success as a soccer player. 

“She has grit,” Soderholm said. “I’m an old-timer and she is hard-edged, has grit and never quits working, even when she’s mad at you.” 

No matter the circumstance, St. Aubin always works.

“When she is happy, she works. When she is sad, she works. She is just a worker,” said Soderholm, adding that hard work is an important life skill he tries to teach the girls on the team.

Soderholm said St. Aubin’s tough mentality is absorbed by her teammates.

She is set take her traits to Augsburg College next year, after verbally committing to play there.

As one of five captains, St. Aubin plays a much needed role.

Although other girls play vocal roles, St. Aubin plays a quieter one. She said she wants this to be the year the Blaze regain the South Suburban Conference title after winning it two years ago.

Soderholm said they will need St. Aubin down the stretch in the role she is best suited for on the soccer field: being a quiet leader who lets her play do the talking.

“She takes it pretty seriously,” he added. “You can see she is pretty hard-edged out there.” 

Senior Ashley St. Aubin scored a late goal to propel Burnsville to a 2-1 victory over Eastview in a South Suburban Conference game at Eastview High School in Apple Valley on Tuesday. 

St. Aubin's goal with six minutes left in the game kept the Blaze (3-0-1), ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, without a loss while dropping the No. 6-2A Lightning to 3-2-0. 

Burnsville put pressure on Eastview’s net with five shots on goal in the first half, but none got past Lightning goalie Claudia Pueschner.

Eastview, meanwhile, didn't struggle to possess the ball but couldn’t put pressure on the net. Burnsville goalie Sarah Gigstad didn't make a save until almost 20 minutes into the first half. The teams finished the first 40 minutes in a scoreless tie.

The Lightning, however, found success putting shots on goal early in the second half. After kicking the ball just over the crossbar, senior Kelly Smith didn't miss a second shot at the net and gave Eastview a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the second half. 

The Blaze didn't take long to equalize. Defender Erin Fugh, who had the assist on St. Aubin's goal, scored a goal of her own with just over 26 minutes remaining in the game. 

Pueschner finished with nine saves while Gigstad finished with seven.

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